chicago bears

It has become a cliche to say "I watch the Super Bowl just for the ads," but I really do. I have no interest in football at all (even less this year because the Patriots aren't in it - the only reason I would have to even be a little interested in the game is if the team from my area was in it), so I really do look forward to seeing and reviewing the ads. Too bad the Super Bowl ads aren't what they used to be (except for that Letterman/Leno/Oprah ad ... wow).

This year I'm picking the seven worst ads, while Kona is handling the seven best. Two rules for my worst: no movie ads (they're in a category all by themselves and shouldn't be judged with the other ads), and I tried not to pick any commercials that aired before today.

It shows Late Show host David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey sitting on a couch watching the game (Oprah's show is based in Chicago and Letterman is from Indianapolis), eating potato chips. I believe Letterman had his arm around Oprah. Awwwwwwww.

You don't see Letterman in many commercials, acting with his goofy side. And seeing Oprah in the ad with him, after the whole Oprah/Uma thing from years ago and her guest appearance on his talk show last year in 2005...just brilliant. I'd like to say right now that whoever thought of this ad should get a big raise. If Letterman or Oprah thought of it, well, no raise for them because they already make enough money.

I think I'd watch a Letterman/Oprah sitcom where they play a married couple.

Well, not the game. I mean, really. But we'll be covering the new, expensive commercials that are going to debut tonight. Coverage begins around 6:30pm, right when the game is supposed to start, but there will be probably be an hour of player introductions, coin flipping, and steroid testing.

By the way, the pre-game coverage is taking place on CBS right now. It started a month ago.

I've been a New York Giants fan since 1980, and in all that time, I've always hated seeing them on at night, whether it was on Sunday or Monday. To me, football is a Sunday afternoon game, and I don't really like wrecking my evening just to see my favorite team play. The fans who go to the games like them even less; by the time they get out of the stadium, through the parking lot mess, and back home, it's often past 1 AM, making for some very tired commuters the next morning.

But NBC doesn't care. When they signed their new NFL TV deal, they got the option to take a game that was scheduled for the daytime and make it their Sunday Night Football game, starting in Week 10. The first matchup that will make such a shift is when the Bears visit the Giants on Nov. 12. According to Variety, this game was pre-designated by the NFL, taking it out of the reach of CBS and FOX, who are each allowed to protect four games per week. The two huge TV markets and potential playoff preview was just too much for NBC to ignore. Sigh. At least I'm not going to the game.

If you live in Chicago and you're a Bears fan you have to be looking forward to this Sunday when the Bears play
the Panthers in the NFC divisional playoffs. However if you're also a fan of 24 you might be a little panicky. After
all, the season premiere of 24 is scheduled to end at 7 PM Central time, exactly when 24 is supposed to start.

The good news is that according to Chicago
Tribune blogger Maureen Ryan Fox Chicago has promised to air the show in it's entirety, regardless of when the Bears
game ends. That comes straight from a Fox representative. Of course that means VCR and DVR scheduling might be a bit
off but, as Ryan says, adding an hour to the back end of the recording time should ensure you catch all of Jack Bauer's
exploits.